Abstract
The primary focus of this chapter is to discuss the utility of vascular studies in the evaluation of thyroid nodules. The color Doppler characteristics of a thyroid nodule cannot be used to confidently predict or exclude malignancy. Increased vascularity does not predict increased risk of malignancy as previously thought, as underscored by case presentations to follow, and the pattern of vascularity also does not conclusively predict benignity vs. malignancy. The discrepancies between studies may be due to the fact that in some studies, thyroid vascularity was assessed subjectively, rather than using a quantifiable, objective approach. We will discuss the need for further investigation of the significance of vascularity of thyroid nodules, particularly for the identification of malignant nodules.
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Reddy, N.M., Levine, M.J. (2023). Vascularity of Thyroid Nodules. In: Eldeiry, L.S., Laver, N.M.V., Randolph, G.W., Sacks, B., Garber, J.R. (eds) Handbook of Thyroid and Neck Ultrasonography. Contemporary Endocrinology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18448-2_11
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